by Peter Twitchell
It always lifts my spirit to see our children participating in Alaskan events like the Native Olympics for our youth.
I thought it was noteworthy, that we see our youth participating in our annual Native Youth Olympics, which is a very healthy event. We can all be proud of our grandkids participating and winning their trophies and wearing their medal medallions they display and wear with pride and self-respect.
I have always shown them and told them I was proud of their accomplishments. Their gratification and participation gives them a sense of satisfaction and pride in their tribe and their native culture. It is a milestone that will help build a solid foundation for their long journey in life.
In a way, our grandkids pick up where we left off in our youth. I attend my grandkids wrestling tournaments here in the Matanuska Valley school tournaments with local and outside schools. I’ve always felt good about attending our Bethel Kilbuck school wrestling tournaments and wrestling all four years of high school.
Mr. Bob Graham was our wrestling coach through those years and we did our share of running around the gymnasium at our National Guard Armory gym. I believe all the exercise and constant wrestling got us into physical shape for our adulthood.
Our grandchildren today do very well and win their trophies at the tournaments, here in the valley. My own son, Danny, often left Bethel with his high school wrestling team to come to the valley and wrestled at the Houston high school, which I’ve been fortunate to attend to see my own grandkids win tournaments. Danny was a great wrestler in the Bethel High School, and he often coaches my grandkids and they do very well. Their success is our contribution to our kids and grandkids and future generations to come.
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